Are you searching for young adult LGBTQ books for teens that actually feature queer protagonists? Look no further! Our experts at Undefining Motherhood have rounded up the best LGBTQIA books for teens, showcasing strong and inspiring queer characters that your child can look up to.
This curated list includes a variety of genres: traditional coming-of-age romances, graphic novels, fantasy epics, mysteries, pirate adventures, and even a Percy Jackson spinoff! Each book places queer protagonists front and center, portraying them as vibrant individuals navigating their unique journeys.
These stories not only provide meaningful representation but also show what it means to be a strong queer person. Help your teen discover their next favorite read and find inspiration in characters who reflect their own experiences and identities.
Disclaimer: Parents, please be aware that some of these books may contain content suited for more mature readers. We haven’t read all the books on this list, but many of them are award-winning and/or recommended by our community. We recommend screening any books if you have concerns about potentially explicit material.
LGBTQ Books for Teens Quick Picks
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado
Hero by Perry Moore
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Ash by Malinda Lo
Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore
The Sun and the Star (A Nico di Angelo Adventure) by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
Darius the Great Deserves Better by Ad Khorram
Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Fedekle
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa
Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
What We Devour by Linsey Miller
God Loves Hair by Vivek Shraya
Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin
Only This Beautiful Moment Abdi Nazemian
If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio
Pritty by Keith F. Miller Jr.
Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan
Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado
Book Details
- Pura Belpré Award
- 352 pages
- 14+
Mysterious disappearances. An urban legend rumored to be responsible. And one group of friends determined to save their city at any cost. Stranger Things meets Jordan Peele in this acclaimed novel from an incredible new voice.
For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Sixteen-year-old Raquel does her best to ignore it. After all, the police only look for the white kids. But when her crush Charlize’s cousin goes missing, Raquel starts to pay attention―especially when her own mom comes down with a mysterious illness that seems linked to the disappearances.
Raquel and Charlize team up to investigate, but they soon discover that everything is tied to a terrifying urban legend called the Echo Game. The game is rumored to trap people in a sinister world underneath the city, and the rules are based on a particularly dark chapter in New York’s past. And if the friends want to save their home and everyone they love, they will have to play the game and destroy the evil at its heart―or die trying.
Hero by Perry Moore
Book Details
- 432 pages
- 12+ years
The last thing in the world Thom Creed wants is to add to his father’s pain, so he keeps secrets. Like that he has special powers. And that he’s been asked to join the League ? the very organization of superheroes that spurned his dad. But the most painful secret of all is one Thom can barely face himself: he’s gay.
But becoming a member of the League opens up a new world to Thom. There, he connects with a misfit group of aspiring heroes, including Scarlett, who can control fire but not her anger; Typhoid Larry, who can make anyone sick with his touch; and Ruth, a wise old broad who can see the future. Like Thom, these heroes have things to hide; but they will have to learn to trust one another when they uncover a deadly conspiracy within the League.
To survive, Thom will face challenges he never imagined. To find happiness, he’ll have to come to terms with his father’s past and discover the kind of hero he really wants to be.
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Book Details
- Named one of the best books of the year by New York Public Library
- 256 pages
- 12+ years
In this gorgeous debut graphic novel, fairy tales are the only way one boy can communicate with his Vietnamese immigrant parents. But how will he find the words to tell them that he’s gay? A powerful read about family, identity and the enduring magic of stories.
Tien and his mother may come from different cultures—she’s an immigrant from Vietnam still struggling with English; he’s been raised in America—but through the fairy tales he checks out from the local library, those differences are erased.
But as much as Tien’s mother’s English continues to improve as he reads her tales of love, loss, and travel across distant shores, there’s one conversation that still eludes him—how to come out to her and his father. Is there even a way to explain what he’s going through in Vietnamese? And without a way to reveal his hidden self, how will his parents ever accept him?
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel speaks to the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together even when we don’t know the words.
Ash by Malinda Lo
Book Details
- Haunting romantic lesbian retelling of Cinderella
- Modern queer classic
- 272 pages
- 14+
In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.
The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Their friendship, as delicate as a new bloom, reawakens Ash’s capacity for love–and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.
Entrancing and empowering, Ash beautifully unfolds the connections between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.
Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore
Book Details
- nonbinary, neurodivergent, brown protagonist
- 304 pages
- 13+
Everyone who lives near the lake knows the stories about the world underneath it, an ethereal landscape rumored to be half-air, half-water. But Bastián Silvano and Lore Garcia are the only ones who’ve been there. Bastián grew up both above the lake and in the otherworldly space beneath it. Lore’s only seen the world under the lake once, but that one encounter changed their life and their fate.
Then the lines between air and water begin to blur. The world under the lake drifts above the surface. If Bastián and Lore don’t want it bringing their secrets to the surface with it, they have to stop it, and to do that, they have to work together. There’s just one problem: Bastián and Lore haven’t spoken in seven years, and working together means trusting each other with the very things they’re trying to hide.
The Sun and the Star (A Nico di Angelo Adventure) by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
Book Details
- From the world of Percy Jackson
- 480 pages
- 10+
As the son of Hades, Nico di Angelo has been through so much, from the premature deaths of his mother and sister, to being outed against his will, to losing his friend Jason during the trials of Apollo. But there is a ray of sunshine in his life—literally: his boyfriend, Will Solace, the son of Apollo. Together the two demigods can overcome any obstacle or foe. At least, that’s been the case so far…
Now Nico is being plagued by a voice calling out to him from Tartarus, the lowest part of the Underworld. He thinks he knows who it is: a reformed Titan named Bob whom Percy and Annabeth had to leave behind when they escaped Hades’s realm. Nico’s dreams and Rachel Dare’s latest prophecy leave little doubt in Nico’s mind that Bob is in some kind of trouble. Nico has to go on this quest, whether Mr. D and Chiron like it or not. And of course Will insists on coming with. But can a being made of light survive in the darkest part of the world? and what does the prophecy mean that Nico will have to “leave something of equal value behind?”
Nico will have to face demons both internal and external as his relationship with Will is tested to the core in this standalone adventure featuring two of the most popular characters in the Percy Jackson saga.
Darius the Great Deserves Better by Ad Khorram
Book Details
- Sequel to Darius the Great Is Not Okay
- 368 pages
- 13+
In this companion to the award-winning Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Darius suddenly has it all: a boyfriend, an internship, a spot on the soccer team. It’s everything he’s ever wanted–but what if he deserves better?
Darius Kellner is having a bit of a year. Since his trip to Iran, a lot has changed. He’s getting along with his dad, and his best friend Sohrab is only a Skype call away. Between his first boyfriend, Landon, varsity soccer practices, and an internship at his favorite tea shop, things are falling into place.
Then, of course, everything changes. Darius’s grandmothers are in town for a long visit, and Darius can’t tell whether they even like him. The internship is not going according to plan, Sohrab isn’t answering Darius’s calls, and Dad is far away on business. And Darius is sure he really likes Landon . . . but he’s also been hanging out with Chip Cusumano, former bully and current soccer teammate–and well, maybe he’s not so sure about anything after all.
Darius was just starting to feel okay, like he finally knew what it meant to be Darius Kellner. But maybe okay isn’t good enough. Maybe Darius deserves better.
Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Fedekle
Book Details
- Recommended by Lin-Manuel Miranda for theater kids
- Winner of Lambda Literary Award
- 304 pages
- 10-15 years
Armed with a one-way ticket to New York City, small-town theater geek Nate is off to start rehearsals for E.T.: The Broadway Musical. It’s everything he ever practiced his autograph for! But as thrilling as Broadway is, rehearsals are nothing like Nate expects: full of intimidating child stars, cut-throat understudies, and a director who can’t even remember Nate’s name.
Now, as the countdown to opening night is starting to feel more like a time bomb, Nate is going to need more than his lucky rabbit’s foot if he ever wants to see his name in lights. He may even need a showbiz miracle.
The companion novel to Better Nate Than Ever, which The New York Times called “inspired and inspiring,” Five, Six, Seven, Nate! is full of secret admirers, surprise reunions, and twice the drama of middle school…with a lot more glitter.
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa
Book Details
- 368 pages
- 12+ years
El Diablo is in the details in this Latinx pirate fantasy starring a transmasculine nonbinary teen with a mission of revenge, redemption, and revolution.
On Mar León de la Rosa’s sixteenth birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn’t enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father, and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar’s father and the entire crew of their ship.
When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up their soul to save their father by the harvest moon, or never see him again. The task is impossible–Mar refuses to make a bargain, and there’s no way their magic is a match for el Diablo. Then Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate–and the captain’s son; and Dami, a gender-fluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption–or it could mean certain death.
Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
Book Details
- 352 pages
- 14+
Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove has never enjoyed the life of the pampered, protected life girls of wealth were expected to follow in nineteenth century England. It was too confining. She would have much rather been like her older brother, allowed to play marbles, go to school, become a doctor. But little does she know how far her family would go to kill her dreams and desires. Until one day she finds herself locked away in an asylum and everyone–the doctors and nurses–insist on calling her Lucy Childs, not Louisa Cosgrove.
Surely this is a mistake. Surely her family will rescue her from this horrible, disgusting place. But as she unravels the mystery, she discovers those are the very people she can’t trust. So who can she? There’s one person–Eliza. As their love grows, Louisa realizes treachery locked her away. Love is the key to freedom.
What We Devour by Linsey Miller
Book Details
- High fantasy with asexual and aromantic representation
- 352 pages
- 14+
The eat-the-rich, deliciously dark fantasy you’ve been waiting for. A girl with the power of the banished gods must bind herself to a wicked Prince to save her crumbling world, as poor folks are sacrificed to save the rich.
Lorena Adler has a secret―she holds the power of the banished gods, the Noble and the Vile, inside her. But she has spent her entire life hiding from the world and her past. Lorena’s content to spend her days as an undertaker in a small town, marry her best friend, Julian, and live an unfulfilling life so long as no one uncovers her true nature.
But when the notoriously bloodthirsty and equally Vile crown prince comes to arrest Julian’s father, he immediately recognizes Lorena for what she is. So, she makes a deal―a fair trial for her betrothed’s father in exchange for her service to the crown.
The prince is desperate for her help. He’s spent years trying to repair the weakening Door that holds back the Vile…and he’s losing the battle. As Lorena learns more about the Door and the horrifying price it takes to keep it closed, she’ll have to embrace both parts of herself to survive.
God Loves Hair by Vivek Shraya
Book Details
- A touching poetic exploration of budding sexuality, the mysticism of religion, and family dynamics – Brian Francis
- 92 pages of short stories
- 12+
I am often mistaken for a girl. Not just because I like to wear dresses or makeup. I don’t mind. My parents are from India and here is not quite home. School isn’t always safe and neither is my body. But I feel safe in my love for God. And God loves hair.
First self-published to acclaim in 2011, Vivek Shraya’s first book, now published by Arsenal Pulp Press for the first time, is a collection of twenty-one short stories following a tender, intellectual, and curious child of Indian origin as he navigates the complex realms of sexuality, gender, racial politics, religion, and belonging. Told with the poignant insight and honesty that only the voice of a young mind can convey, God Loves Hair is a moving and ultimately joyous portrait of youth that celebrates diversity in all shapes, sizes, and colors. A Lambda Literary Award finalist in the category of children’s books. The stories are accompanied by the award-winning full-color illustrations of Juliana Neufeld.
Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin
Book Details
- Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature
- ALA Rainbow List recommended book
- 208 pages
- 12+
In the summer of 1926, sixteen-year-old Garnet Richardson is sent to a lake resort to escape the polio epidemic in the city. She dreams of indulging in ornithology and a visit to an amusement park — a summer of fun before she returns to a last year of high school, marriage, and middle-class homemaking.
But in the country, Garnet finds herself under supervision of oppressive guardians, her father’s wealthy cousin and the matron’s stuck-up daughter. Only a job in a hat shop, an intense, secret relationship with a beautiful flapper, and a deep faith in her own heart can save her from the suffocation of traditional femininity in this coming-of-age story about a search for both wildness and security in an era full of unrest. It is the tale of a young woman’s discovery of the science of risk and the art of rebellion, and, of course, the power of unexpected love.
Only This Beautiful Moment Abdi Nazemian
Book Details
- Stonewall Book Award winner
- Cooperative Children’s Book Center 2024 Choices for Fiction for Young Adult category
- 398 pages
From the award–winning author of Like a Love Story comes a sweeping story of three generations of boys in the same Iranian family. Perfect for fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club and Darius the Great Is Not Okay.
2019. Moud is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of his history, his culture, and himself.
1978. Saeed is an engineering student with a promising future ahead of him in Tehran. But when his parents discover his involvement in the country’s burgeoning revolution, they send him to safety in America, a country Saeed despises. And even worse—he’s forced to live with the American grandmother he never knew existed.
1939. Bobby, the son of a calculating Hollywood stage mother, lands a coveted MGM studio contract. But the fairy-tale world of glamour he’s thrust into has a dark side.
Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this tale of intergenerational trauma and love is an ode to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history, and all the beautiful moments that make us who we are today.
If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
Book Details
- Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children’s/Young Adult
- 272 pages
- 14+
Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six. They’ve shared stolen kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls in love–Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed. So they carry on in secret until Nasrin’s parents suddenly announce that they’ve arranged for her marriage. Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect solution: homosexuality may be a crime, but to be a man trapped in a woman’s body is seen as nature’s mistake, and sex reassignment is legal and accessible. Sahar will never be able to love Nasrin in the body she wants to be loved in without risking their lives, but is saving their love worth sacrificing her true self?
None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio
Book Details
- Main character based on a real person
- Powerful story of discovering one’s true identity
- 352 pages
- 14+
This relatable and groundbreaking story for the LGBTQIA+ audience is about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex… and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Perfect for fans of If I Was Your Girl and Ask the Passengers.
When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She’s a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she’s madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she’s decided that she’s ready to take things to the next level with him.
But Kristin’s first time isn’t the perfect moment she’s planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy “parts.”
Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin’s entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?
Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.
Pritty by Keith F. Miller Jr.
Book Details
- 2024 Lambda Literary Awards Finalist
- 416 pages
- 14+
On the verge of summer before his senior year, Jay is a soft soul in a world of concrete. While his older brother is everything people expect a man to be—tough, athletic, and in charge—Jay simply blends into the background to everyone, except when it comes to Leroy.
Unsure of what he could have possibly done to catch the eye of the boy who could easily have anyone he wants, Jay isn’t about to ignore the surprising but welcome attention. But as everything in his world begins to heat up, especially with Leroy, whispered rumors over the murder of a young Black journalist and long-brewing territory tensions hang like a dark cloud over his neighborhood. And when Jay and Leroy find themselves caught in the crossfire, Leroy isn’t willing to be the reason Jay’s life is at risk.
Dragged into the world of the Black Diamonds—whose work to protect the Black neighborhoods of Savannah began with his father and now falls to his older brother—Leroy knows that finding out who attacked his brother is not only the key to protecting everyone he loves but also the only way he can ever be with Jay. Wading through a murky history of family trauma and regret, Leroy soon discovers that there’s no keeping Jay safe when Jay’s own family is in just as deep and fighting the undertow of danger just as hard.
Now Jay and Leroy must puzzle through secrets hiding in plain sight and scramble to uncover who is determined to eliminate the Black Diamonds before someone else gets hurt—even if the cost might be their own electric connection.
Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan
Book Details
- 320 pages
- 14+
At Armstead Academy, everyone knows everything about everyone. Well, everyone thinks they know everything . . .
Leila has made it most of the way through Armstead Academy without having a crush on anyone, which is a relief. As an Iranian American, she’s different enough; if word got out that Leila liked girls, life would be twice as hard. But when beautiful new girl Saskia shows up, Leila starts to take risks she never thought she would. As she carefully confides in trusted friends about Saskia’s confusing signals, Leila begins to figure out that all her classmates are more complicated than they first appear to be, and some are keeping surprising secrets of their own.
Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright
Book Details
- Lambda Literary Award winner
- ALA Stonewall Book Award winner
- 240 pages
- 12+ years
In this spirited exploration of strength and personality, a fabulous NYC teen knows he’s destined for greatness—if only he can survive his first job.
Carlos Duarte knows that he’s fabulous. He’s got a better sense of style than half the fashionistas in New York City, and he can definitely apply makeup like nobody’s business. He may only be in high school, but when he lands the job of his dreams—makeup artist at the FeatureFace counter in Macy’s—he’s sure that he’s finally on his way to great things.
But the makeup artist world is competitive and cutthroat, and for Carlos to reach his dreams, he’ll have to believe in himself more than ever.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Book Details
- Michael L. Printz Honor Book
- Stonewall Book Award
- Pura Belpré Award
- Lambda Literary Award winner
- 376 pages
- 12+
This Printz Honor Book is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” (Publishers Weekly) that distills lyrical truths about family and friendship.
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
The Importance of Queer Representation in YA Literature
It’s important for LGBTQ+ teens and young adults to see themselves represented in media. And it’s not good enough for them to be side characters supporting the protagonist: they need to see themselves front and center.
Make sure you tell us about any other LGBTQ books for teens that you love!
Need more book recommendations for your teenager? Check out these great articles:
